Wetland Mitigation Banks

 Producers participating in programs administered by the USDA are required to abide by certain conditions on any land owned or farmed that is considered a wetland.

To maintain compliance with wetland conservation provisions, producers must agree, by certifying on form AD-1026, they will not plant an agricultural commodity on a converted wetland or convert a wetland to produce an agricultural commodity.

USDA conservation compliance requires any farmer who converts a wetland for commodity production to offset that loss through mitigation to maintain eligibility for USDA benefits.

Wetland mitigation banks allow farmers to remove or alter wetlands in their fields in exchange for purchasing credits in a mitigation bank.

The credits correspond to an area of the mitigation bank that at least equals the size of the altered field wetlands.

The price of the credits is negotiated between the buyer and seller. There are 10 states with wetland mitigation banks in the nation, including Minnesota.

To learn more about purchasing credits in a mitigation bank, contact your local USDA service center or Wetland Banking Guidance.

Questions? Please contact your local FSA Office.